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Alkador’s Answerable Assimilations

Hey all,

I thought I’d make a thread with queries about general expressions and grammar points in the Japanese language that I have not yet grasped. For some reason, I have lots of gaps in my Japanese learning and I’d assume there are some things I should know that I don’t and vice versa. So here we go:

1) NTTドコモ が腕時計型PHSを開発したと発表。4月以降からwebサイトにて先ず5,000台を販売する、とのこと。
I’ve included the first sentence to give you an understanding of the next sentence. This expression confuses me at various points. にて and the sentence ending, とのこと in particular. My best translation of the second sentence is “From April onwards, the website has sold the first 5,000 models.”

2) によって、により
Does this just mean ‘by’? I’ve noticed that it can be used as a sentence connector too.

3) とも
This grammar point is used a bit in papers and manga as well, but I’m not quite sure of its function. I had a feeling it means ‘both’, but sometimes I’m not so sure.

これは、年齢層による利用目的の違いとも推測される。(Hope this sentence makes sense without a proper topic marker.)

4) もの
This confuses me and I have never learnt it. I’m quite sure that it is the humble form of 人, but does it carry on the same meaning in manga?

5) ～ぬ：できぬ、思えぬ
I think I know what this means. Is it just a way of something ‘without ~’. “Without doing”, “without thinking”. Potential form confuses me with these words though.

6) と＋する
Is this a formal way of saying そうです。Or am I thinking of としている? (Or do they both mean the same thing?) If so, then what’s とされる?

8) ついて、つき
I know this is usually associated with a noun (with に), meaning “concerning” or “about”, sort of like は, but with a more direct emphasis.
おまえの様に逃げまわる足は[n]ついてねー[/n]んだ。。。
Reminds me of 付く for some reason. Care to help?

9) そういう風に
I’ve heard and read this expression before. What does it mean though…?

To end it here, does anyone know of any websites where you can look up grammar points of sorts? I’m quite confident with particles and more basic grammar points (minus the gaps), and grammar books (in Melbourne) I’ve found so far are more high school level based for my taste.

Re: Alkador’s Answerable Assimilations

My Japanese isn't great. でもやって見ます。

1) ni te = de. It's one of those "just gotta know it from formal writing" things.
My understanding of "to no koto" has to do with the previous sentence. We know that there was an announcement about this new watch. The next sentence is more detail. "to" is the quoting particle, and no koto should be familiar - it's telling us the announcement was about ... " ".
So to add to what you've wrote, "The announcement included, from april onwards..."etc.
But that's clumsy and we'd just drop that in english anyway.

2) ni yoru = by means of. I commonly translate it "due to" but context can help you find more fluent english translations. The function is the always the same.

3) it's more than both. It's more like each and every, implying every part is included. Both works when there's only two parts to something.
your sentence is--
[Depending on] the age of the user, it's possible to guess its [each and every] different use.
here i used depending on for ni yoru, but "due to" works here as well, it's just not stylish.

4) need an example, there's other meanings to mono...

5) my understanding is that nu is older japanese, simply equivalent to -nai. Plug and chug and all will make sense.

6) This is really general. Need a specific example. It can take a number of meanings. I think the most common is volitional + to suru = try to do. IE 開けようとする - let's try to open it?
Another one that comes to mind is to assume/think of something as...
ex. 本物としたら..."as if it were real"

7) to naru = to become. 俺は海賊王となる！ = I will become the pirate king!
I guess it's got that nuance of aspiring to become, not that something really will or not.

8) tsuite, if i am correct, does indeed come from tsuku. The direct meaning is "to be attached", but in the te form it takes a more general meaning that is often translated "concerning", as you said. It implies the following information is attached, or directly related to the subject. But...I don't really know what your question is. Does that answer it?

9) "In such a manner"/"like that"

Don't know many links. Have you tried searching del.icio.us or similar link storage sites? You know what i'm talking about? those sites store and actually cross reference many people's links by tags, with the most popular showing up first.

I'm friends with that's site's owner, so if you say Taylor sent you and you are a student and what not he can give you free shipping or a deal/discount or something^^;

also another thing to try is searching this site put quotes around the Japanese you want to find and search and you can see how other people translated the same Japanese and it might inspire you a bit

Good luck~

Serizawa: But it's really heartwarming to see such good guys - perhaps not as good as we wanted, translation-wise, but their hearts are already grade A
If you see a mistake in my translations, let me know! Thanks Click a frog to see my Resume!!